MONROE - As the 2014 city budget goes through its creation process, it will start off with no offer of a cost of living adjustment for AFSCME employees.
The Salary and Personnel Committee voted 4-1 in favor of a motion to use zero as a "placeholder" in the wage increases. Louis Armstrong made the motion, seconded by Charles Schuringa, with Reid Stangel voting against.
An increase in wages could come, depending upon if and by how much the new budget can come in under the committee's request of a 1 percent overall decrease.
Armstrong said he wanted no pay adjustments "unless we see revenues have gone up a certain percentage."
City Administrator Phil Rath recommended up to 1.66 percent for a COLA adjustment, using the Department of Revenue's average annual Consumer Price Index increase applicable for the negotiation of total base wages in collective bargaining agreements. The CPI-U is the index used under Wisconsin Act 10.
The AFSCME contract ends in December, and the union can negotiate wage increases.
The 1.66 percent increase would add $27,700 to the city's 2014 cost of employee compensation, according to Rath.
Rath said he would "like to get the numbers in (the budget) now and make that work," because it was "human nature" that the money was never there otherwise.
Making the rest of the budget conform to the COLA adjustment could require cutting, reducing or removing services, he added.
Employees of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association (WPPA) union are under the second year of a 2-year contract that negotiated for about 2.5 percent next year, which will result in $15,600 more to the police budget.
The committee also met in closed session to discuss awarding a step up on the compensation scale for several employees based on their performance evaluations. No awards were made. Performance-based step increases could have added as much as $10,000 in pay increases.
The Salary and Personnel Committee voted 4-1 in favor of a motion to use zero as a "placeholder" in the wage increases. Louis Armstrong made the motion, seconded by Charles Schuringa, with Reid Stangel voting against.
An increase in wages could come, depending upon if and by how much the new budget can come in under the committee's request of a 1 percent overall decrease.
Armstrong said he wanted no pay adjustments "unless we see revenues have gone up a certain percentage."
City Administrator Phil Rath recommended up to 1.66 percent for a COLA adjustment, using the Department of Revenue's average annual Consumer Price Index increase applicable for the negotiation of total base wages in collective bargaining agreements. The CPI-U is the index used under Wisconsin Act 10.
The AFSCME contract ends in December, and the union can negotiate wage increases.
The 1.66 percent increase would add $27,700 to the city's 2014 cost of employee compensation, according to Rath.
Rath said he would "like to get the numbers in (the budget) now and make that work," because it was "human nature" that the money was never there otherwise.
Making the rest of the budget conform to the COLA adjustment could require cutting, reducing or removing services, he added.
Employees of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association (WPPA) union are under the second year of a 2-year contract that negotiated for about 2.5 percent next year, which will result in $15,600 more to the police budget.
The committee also met in closed session to discuss awarding a step up on the compensation scale for several employees based on their performance evaluations. No awards were made. Performance-based step increases could have added as much as $10,000 in pay increases.